


Everything About You Is Just Terrible

by JustARandomIdiot



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz, Be More Chill - Ned Vizinni, Story Thieves Series - James Riley
Genre: Angst, Friendship, Gen, also!!!! if youre reading this you dont need prior knowledge of bmc, and kiel isnt actually there, but you do need to read up to the second story thieves to understand, gwen is only mentioned tbh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 02:05:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,609
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17479175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustARandomIdiot/pseuds/JustARandomIdiot
Summary: Owen is tired of making mistakes one after the other, so he decides to get a SQUIP from the Be More Chill book for himself. However, it might not be the best idea he had.





	Everything About You Is Just Terrible

**Author's Note:**

> Like I said in the tags, you don't need prior knowledge of BMC, both the musical and book, to read this, but you'll need to have read up to the second Story Thieves book by James Riley, as this takes place between Stolen Chapters and Secret Origins.

Another screw up. This whole Doyle mess? Definitely his fault.

 

Owen sighed, laying on top of the covers of his bed. He stared at his ceiling, unconsciously finding pictures in the markings.

 

Bethany and Kiel told him that they didn’t blame him. That they didn’t think it was all his fault. But the sinking feeling in his stomach wouldn’t leave him. They probably only said that to make him feel better. They probably thought deep down that he ruined everything.

 

And they weren’t wrong. He really did.

 

And now because of the whole mess, he probably would never see one of his best friends ever again. Granted, Kiel _did_ return to his story because he wanted to, but Owen honestly doubted that he’d decide to visit them ever again after everything they went through. Ugh, why did everything have to be his own fault?!

 

He sat up as quietly as possible, hoping not to disturb his mom. He opened the drawer in the nightstand next to his bed, pulling out the folded paper towel he had hidden there. Carefully, he unfolded it, revealing the contents.

 

A grey, oblong pill from the book _Be More Chill_ .  Sure, it was kind of not age appropriate for him, being twelve, but he was curious as to what would happen if they entered a story that was written in first person point of view. It turned out that they couldn’t actually hear the SQUIP speaking in Jeremy’s head, but Owen _was_ able to steal one of the SQUIPs from the Payless Shoe Store in the story.

 

And now here it was, in the palm of his hand, out in the real world. If the SQUIP was anything like in the book, it could help him! It could help him deal with all the problems he caused, and he wouldn’t be so annoying! It could tell him exactly what he should do, and what would make people happy with him.

 

The SQUIP would be able to fix him.

 

Take it with Mountain Dew. That’s all he had to do. Then, it would be activated, and he’d be fixed.

 

But not tonight. The book said it was painful, and the musical _definitely_ made it sound horrible. So taking it now would alert his mom. Not like they had any Mountain Dew, anyway.

 

He sighed.

 

But he _could_ buy some from the vending machine at lunch tomorrow. And the bathrooms were mostly empty during lunch, so he could probably take it then! Hopefully, no teacher would hear him if it _did_ hurt.

 

Giddy with excitement, he gently placed it back onto the paper towel, folding it and placing it back in his drawer. As he pulled his covers over his body once again, his mind buzzed with daydreams, thinking about how perfect his SQUIP could make him.

 

* * *

 

 

This was it. This was the moment he was waiting for.

 

He stood in one of the stalls, the SQUIP in one hand and the bottle of Mountain Dew in the other. His hands were shaking slightly as he held the precious items.

 

After taking a deep breath, he popped the pill into his mouth, swiftly opened his soda bottle, and took a large swig of the drink. Feeling it go down his throat as he swallowed, he twisted the bottle cap closed and waited. And waited. And waited. And waited. And waited.

 

Come on, any second now...

 

He checked his watch. Several minutes already passed, and still nothing. He groaned. Did it not work in the real world? Did _Be More Chill_ not count as a realistic fictional world? Stupid different world rules.

 

Deflated, he walked out of the stall, the bathroom still empty. He was already in there for enough time, might as well leave before any teacher got suspicious.

 

_Zing!_

 

“Ow!”

 

There was a sharp, sudden pain in his temple, like a quick shock was sent there. He would’ve brushed it off as nothing, maybe just as a simple shock, if it weren’t for the robotic voice that came after.

 

“Calibration in process. Please excuse some mild discomfort.”

 

“ _What?!_ ” This wasn’t in the book!

 

There was no time to process what was happening. It was like several open, electric wires were poking his brain in different places, the pain excruciating. He fell onto his knees, crouching low and grasping the sides of his head as if it would ease the sensation. It took all the willpower he had to keep from screaming.

 

And just as quickly as it started, the shocking feeling went away.

 

“Calibration complete. Access procedure initiated.”

 

That was it?

 

Cautiously, he stood back up. For a moment, nothing happened.

 

He sighed, letting himself relax.

 

“Discomfort level may increase.”

 

If he thought the calibration was painful, it was nothing like what he was experiencing now. He screeched in the agonizing pain as he doubled over and fell, squeezing his eyes shut and scratching his scalp as his brain was being fried.

 

“Accessing neural memory. Accessing muscle memory. Access procedure complete.”

 

And just like before, the pain disappeared. Like it never happened.

 

“Owen Conners,” a familiar voice in his head spoke out. “Welcome to your Super Quantum Unit Intel Processor: your SQUIP.”

 

He opened his eyes, black boots right before him. He slowly looked up, eyeing the person now standing there. His jaw dropped as he got to his feet, unable to believe his eyes.

 

“ _Kiel?!_ ”

 

Kiel nodded. “Yes, or rather, your SQUIP in the form of your friend. I have taken the appearance of Kiel Gnomenfoot, a figure you are likely to take orders from,” he said.

 

Owen blinked. Wasn’t the SQUIP supposed to be Keanu Reeves’ voice in his head?

 

“Yes, that is one of my modes,” Kiel answered, as if he read his mind. “However, some models allow for a mental projection for the host to visualize, hence your ability to see me.”

 

Whoa, how did he—

 

“I’m in your mind, Owen, I can hear every thought you make.”

 

Oh, right.

 

“Wait, but only the SQUIP from the musical has a form,” Owen brought up. “In the book, it’s a voice?”

 

“First rule of a SQUIP: you don’t talk to me out loud,” Kiel— er, the SQUIP— interjected. “Communicate to me through your thoughts.”

 

Owen nodded obediently.

 

“And like I said before, some models allow for a mental projection. I can see through your memories that the _Be More Chill_ novel by Ned Vizzini does not mention this fact at all, so your limited knowledge is understandable.

 

“Now, onto the next order of business: why you acquired me.”

 

The SQUIP circled around him like a vulture, as if studying his every detail. “You wish to be more successful in your activities,” it said. “For you to make wiser choices that minimize the odds of an unwanted outcome.”

 

Owen fought the urge to nod again. _I just want to stop messing everything up,_ he thought to it.

 

“Precisely what I said,” the SQUIP replied. “And we’ve got some work to do.”

 

It stood in front of him, its black cape billowing behind it and its arms crossed over its chest. “We will start with your confidence. Your mentality greatly affects your actions and is quite a huge factor in how situations may result. Now, straighten up.”

 

He did exactly as he was told.

 

The SQUIP nodded approvingly.

 

“Now, puff out your chest a bit, and keep your eyes up. Look me straight in the eyes.”

 

Owen did his best, trying not to overdo it.

 

“Now, when you walk out this door, your gait should be one of a boy who knows where exactly he wants to be and when, or at least have the vibes of one who does.”

 

Uh, what?

 

“Were my instructions not clear enough?” The SQUIP frowned. A frowning Kiel was a pretty strange thing to see.

 

“If that’s the case, I can take on other forms, if necessary. I see you would also be willing to listen to Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or Charm Mentum?”

 

At the mention of Charm, Owen felt his face heat up.

 

“I see you have a reaction to Charm. Would you prefer I take on the form of Charm Mentum instead?”

 

Owen’s eyes widened, his face heating up more. No, that would be _way_ too embarrassing! He was much better off with Kiel, someone he felt more at ease with.

 

“Very well. I shall continue to speak to you as Kiel Gnomenfoot. But you will have to do as I say if this is going to work.”

 

Well, it was going to have to talk to him in a way he could understand if this was going to work.

 

“My target demographic is meant for those older than you, but I can adjust to your preferences as needed.”

 

It paused for a moment, its eyes glazing over, before speaking again.

 

“Act like you have the confidence to do anything.”

 

That was all he had to do, huh? Taking a deep breath, Owen swaggered to the bathroom door, pushing it open.

 

And the bell rang.

 

His posture immediately broke. Lunch ended?! He didn’t get to eat anything! Not only that, he didn’t get to talk to Bethany at all!

 

“Do not worry about either of those,” the SQUIP assured him. “I can redirect the neural messages from your stomach to keep you from feeling hunger, and Bethany will not mind your absence from your lunch break for one day.”

 

He didn’t completely understand what the SQUIP had just said, but as long as he didn’t get hungry or upset Bethany, then it was fine with him.

 

“Yes, that is exactly what I said.”

 

Huh. Well. Maybe he could understand the SQUIP better than he thought.

 

“You put too much doubt in your abilities, attributing to your, as you call them, ‘screw ups.’ This has been added to what we will be working on. Now, you’d better continue to class, or we will not be able to work on these flaws.”

 

Right, class. Taking the time to do his confident pose again, he walked out into the hall, trying to keep it, his SQUIP correcting each minor error.

 

“Relax your shoulders, you aren’t squaring up to fight. Loosen your legs, don’t walk so stiff. Your arms need to swing wider and more naturally, don’t be so conscious of how they’re positioned.”

 

It was weird for him to walk like this, but he didn’t care; if this was what it took to stop messing everything up, then so be it.

 

“Don’t worry: this will become natural for you before you know it.”

 

* * *

 

 

Owen didn’t show up to lunch. At all.

 

Bethany waited all thirty minutes for him to come eventually, expecting that maybe he had to see a teacher for something, maybe he had to use the bathroom, maybe something within good reason held him back. But _no_ , he just basically ditched her.

 

She _knew_ he wasn’t absent; she just saw him in math, and he didn’t have an early dismissal! And it wasn’t like him to disappear like that! Even if they weren’t really doing anything interesting, especially after what happened with Doyle, they always hung out as often as they could at school, talking about whatever they wanted or brainstorming ideas where her dad could be.

 

She took a deep breath as she collected her stuff. Maybe his mom just picked him up at the start of lunch? He definitely wasn’t in trouble with any of the teachers, being a kid who avoided their attention best he could, and while his early dismissal was unlikely, it was definitely plausible. Owen wouldn’t just up and abandon her during lunch.

 

Yeah, his mom just probably picked him up. At the end of math. After the lunch bell rang. Right?

 

Except he was in class during their next period.

 

And she _definitely_ wasn’t happy.

 

“Excuse me?!” she hissed at him as she dropped to her seat, not bothering to hide her annoyance. “Where exactly were you at lunch?! I waited the whole time for you!”

 

He didn’t answer. He just sat at his desk, paying more attention to the papers in front of him than to her.

 

“Owen, are you listening to me?!” She waved her hand in front of his face, but it was like he didn’t even see it.

 

“Owen!!”

 

The teacher cleared her throat. “Bethany, class is starting,” she said. “I’d suggest you pay attention to the lesson.”

 

Bethany slunk back into her seat, mumbling a quick apology as she started taking notes on the subject.

 

Except her mind wasn’t really in class at the moment. She was still quite furious at Owen. Seriously, first ditching her at lunch, and now just straight up ignoring her?! Oh, they were going to have a _serious_ talk after school.

 

Once all the students were finally dismissed from all of their classes, she pushed her way through the sea of students to catch up to him. “OWEN!!!” she called out to him as she spotted his dirty blonde hair.

 

He either didn’t hear her or just didn’t acknowledge her. She tried again.

 

“OWEN CONNERS!!!”

 

He just kept walking.

 

She shoved the few students in front of her out of her way, not really caring as they yelled some words at her. Roughly, she grabbed onto Owen’s arm and tugged. “OWEN!!”

 

That _finally_ got him to stop and turn around. “What is your problem?!” she demanded. “Have you been avoiding me or something since lunch?!”

 

But he didn’t respond.

 

It was like he was looking right through her, as if she didn’t exist to him. He looked around, not even noticing her right in front of him, before just shrugging and continuing on his way.

 

* * *

 

 

As Owen was walking out of the school, someone pulled on his arms. He turned around, wondering what that person wanted, but there was no one there.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” the SQUIP said coolly. “It’s nobody important.”

 

So he just shrugged and went on his way. If the SQUIP said it didn’t matter, then it probably didn’t matter at all. Probably just some student pulling some prank or something.

 

Besides, his mom was waiting for him at her library. He needed to help her, and one step of not messing up was definitely not disappointing people or arriving late, right?

 

“You have a lot to learn.”

 

 _Shut up_ , he thought to the SQUIP.

 

“You got me to help you, so that’s what I’ll do. Like I said, you have a lot to learn.”

 

He chose not to argue; it was right.

 

So he let it tell him what to do after working on his homework, which was a breeze with the SQUIP telling him all the answers.

 

“I will teach you more that you’ll need to know,” the SQUIP said as Owen started shelving some of the books. He felt his excitement grow, partially due to the fact that he’d finally stop messing things up, and also because with the SQUIP looking and sounding like Kiel, it was like Kiel Gnomenfoot himself was teaching him to be awesome, which was what the SQUIP was essentially doing.

 

“ _Chill_ ,” the SQUIP corrected him. “I’m teaching you to be more chill, hence the title of my source.”

 

Right, that.

 

Walking back to the information desk, Owen wondered what else the SQUIP would teach him.

 

“Many things, I assure you, but for today, that’s all. There isn’t much left in your schedule for the day from what I can see, and there is a very small chance you’re mom has anything extra planned, so we shouldn’t worry about anything unexpected.”

 

Owen nodded, acknowledging what the SQUIP said.

 

“I’ll leave you to the rest of your day. Just call me up if you still need me before bed. Other than that, I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

 

And with that, the SQUIP disappeared from his sights.

 

Owen turned around, realizing how empty and quiet the library had become. With the SQUIP looking and sounding like Kiel, he really felt less lonely than it really was currently. While he did feel a bit bad– that same bad feeling he got when Kiel decided to return to his books– it really wasn’t so bad compared to then. This time, he knew the SQUIP would be back. It was almost like seeing Kiel himself again!

 

He smiled at the thought, letting the idea comfort him until he and his mom had to leave.

 

Settling under his covers, the smile still on his face, he thought about how he finally could be helpful. He’d finally be useful, and not just some useless sidekick who couldn’t do anything while his friends did all the work! His last thought before he fell asleep was how he couldn’t wait to tell Bethany when he saw her again at school.

 

* * *

 

 

Giddy, Owen searched for Bethany before the bell rang, letting the students know they had to get to their classes. He looked around among the other students, trying to find her face, or even her familiar copper-red hair.

 

But she wasn’t anywhere to be found.

 

He frowned a bit, walking into his first period. That was weird. Usually, she was waiting for him at the front of the school. Was she absent that day?

 

Well, he’d find out during Mr. Barberry’s class. That was the first class they shared together, anyway.

 

“Don’t worry about Bethany,” his SQUIP said as he sat in his seat. “For now, focus on your classes.”

 

Yeah, that sounded good. Though he didn’t actually pay attention to any of the lessons; who needed to when a SQUIP could do everything for you? That was probably abusing the purpose of his SQUIP, but all his teachers seemed genuinely impressed whenever he answered their questions correctly, even adding some additional information they either didn’t know or weren’t expecting him to know. He _liked_ how that felt! He wasn’t really a teacher’s pet, but being liked and acknowledged by his teachers? That was _amazing._

 

He finally made it to math class, excitedly waiting for Bethany. Man, she was going to be _thrilled_ to know he wouldn’t mess up anything anymore from now on!

 

The bell rang, signaling the start of the period. He didn’t see Bethany enter the room. Did he miss her come in? He looked over at her seat.

 

It was empty.

 

Owen frowned, turning back to the front of the room. Dang it, she really _was_ absent. It kind of sucked, considering how he really wanted to tell her about how his SQUIP was going to make sure he did everything right. Not to mention he hadn’t seen her since math class the day before.

 

He furrowed his brows. Huh. That was weird, considering they shared the same class after lunch as well. He didn’t remember seeing her then. But maybe he was too focused on listening to what his SQUIP said, he just kind of forgot about her.

 

Well, now he felt bad. Maybe he could call her after school. That was a good idea, right?

 

“Pay attention, Owen,” his SQUIP scolded him. He ignored the fact that it sounded like _Kiel_ was disappointed in him. “Mr. Barberry started taking attendance. Don’t think about Bethany right now.”

 

As expected, his name was among the first to be called, his last name being Conners and all. He started daydreaming a bit, waiting for the math teacher to finish attendance and start another boring lesson for his SQUIP to breeze through.

 

Owen frowned, though, when Mr. Barberry got to Bethany’s name. Instead of saying “Bethany,” some weird, garbled sound came out of his mouth. He looked up to the teacher in confusion, but he didn’t seem to notice. He just finished up attendance, not messing up any other name besides Bethany’s.

 

Was Mr. Barberry okay? Why didn’t he just say Bethany’s name? Was it because she was absent? But even so, he still would’ve called her name normally, then marked her absent after not hearing her reply.

 

“Owen, focus on the lesson,” his SQUIP said.

 

What was going on? Why couldn’t he say “Bethany?” It wasn’t that hard!

 

“Owen…” Kiel’s voice sounded pretty dangerous, as if his SQUIP really meant business.

 

 _You know everything_ , Owen thought to it as Mr. Barberry went on about decimals. _Is he fine? Is there something wrong with him?_

 

His SQUIP didn’t answer.

 

Owen’s brows furrowed once again in response to its silence.

 

_You know something, don’t you?_

 

For a moment, he thought it would remain silent. Suddenly, it felt like something pulled out of his brain, though it didn’t hurt. Before he could even question what that sensation was, he heard the lyrics— or rather, the dialogue— from one of the _Be More Chill_ songs.

 

_“It's called Optic Nerve Blocking. I have been blocking Michael from your field of vision.”_

 

_“Wait, what?”_

 

_“Michael is a link to ‘Jeremy 1.0.’ To upgrade, you have to be willing to make sacrifices.”_

 

 _Oh no…_ His eyes widened as he realized: his SQUIP had been doing the same thing, hasn’t it?

 

“You’re smarter than you let on.”

 

 _That_ was why he hadn’t seen Bethany since he got his SQUIP. It had been using the Optic Nerve Blocking to keep Bethany out of his sights. Could the book SQUIP really do something like that?! She was probably there in her seat, wasn’t she?

 

“You are correct.”

 

Owen gripped his pencil a little tighter between his fingers, trying to stay calm. Why was it doing this?!

 

“You wish to be Owen 2.0,” it stated simply, “a version of Owen who doesn’t make mistakes. To get you to that upgrade, it’s imperative that we eliminate all sources of error from your life.” He felt its holographic hand land on his shoulder. “This includes Bethany Sanderson.”

 

Owen felt his fury grow. _Don’t block Bethany, she’s my friend!_ he shouted in his head. Or, he hoped it was shouting. Even if the voice in his head was angry, it didn’t really sound any louder.

 

“Owen, is everything okay?”

 

That wasn’t his SQUIP talking. Startled from his mental conversation, Owen looked up, Mr. Barberry staring right at him.

 

“You seem a little… upset.”

 

“Uh…” He probably should’ve tried to control his emotions a bit better. Or actually pay attention like his SQUIP told him to. “I was just… thinking…” he said a little meekly.

 

Thankfully, it worked. “I understand,” Mr. Barberry replied with a smile and a nod. “Decimals _can_ be frustrating, but you’ll get it eventually! They’ll be a breeze before you know it!”

 

Owen sighed with relief as Mr. Barberry turned back to the board, sinking a bit into his seat. _Please… just turn it off… Let me see my friend again…_

 

“Are you sure? She _is_ a huge factor into most of your problems.”

 

_She’s not, it’s only me. Just let me see her._

 

A moment of silence, the only things Owen heard being the squeak of the marker against the whiteboard and the teacher’s lecture. He finally heard his SQUIP let out a sigh.

 

“Since you seem so stubborn about this, I’ll deactivate the Optic Nerve Blocking. But this won’t help you achieve your goal in the slightest.”

 

There was a small, quick tingle in the back of his head. As subtle as he could, he turned ever so slightly in his seat, looking to Bethany’s desk out of the corner of his eye.

 

She was sitting right in her seat, with all her stuff.

 

Owen placed his head down on the desk, hiding his smile. Thank _goodness_ she was actually there! He didn’t know what he’d do if he could never see her again!

 

“You survived before, I know you’d be fine without her again.”

 

_Oh shut up._

 

Math felt excruciatingly long, more than usual, so it was pure freedom once the lunch bell rang. Quickly, he grabbed his stuff, rushing out the door to catch up with Bethany in the cafeteria.

 

He quickly spotted her seated at one of the tables, eating something she bought from the lunch line. “Bethany!” he called out to her excitedly. He ran up to her, plopping himself in the seat directly in front of her.

 

However, instead of having the same excitement to see him, she only glared at him darkly, storms in her eyes. “So you finally bothered to talk to me,” she growled, her voice low and threatening.

 

Owen blinked. That was _not_ the response he expected. At all.

 

“Uh…”

 

* * *

 

 

Bethany was a little more than mad at Owen. Okay, she was a _lot_ more than just mad; she was absolutely livid.

 

And it didn’t help that all Owen did was sit there dumbly, as if he didn’t know what she was talking about.

 

“You ditch me at lunch yesterday, straight up ignore me, have the _nerve_ to act like I don’t exist, and _now_ you come to me like it never happened?!” she exploded at him. Honestly, she hadn’t been this heated at him since he stopped Dr. Verity from killing the Magister. Scratch that, she wasn’t even as mad then compared to how mad she was now.

 

Owen still had no answer, just opening and closing his mouth like a total moron.

 

She huffed. “An _apology_ would be nice, you know.”

 

Finally taking the (rather obvious) hint, he fumbled over his words, stuttering. “I-I’m s— I’m sorry that happened!”

 

Bethany took a deep breath, calming down just a sliver. She was still pretty angry, though. “What the heck was up with that?!” She did her best to ask it calmly, but she couldn’t keep the annoyance out of her voice.

 

Owen opened his mouth for a moment, as if he wanted to say something, but he hesitated, nothing coming out. Instead, he closed his mouth and gulped nervously.

 

Bethany crossed her arms, getting a little impatient with him. “ _Well?!_ ”

 

He started stuttering again, nervous as he mumbled his words. “Uh… I um, I was just… distracted…”

 

Wow, he was a horrible liar.

 

“You didn’t seem so distracted to me when I tried to get your attention yesterday,” she retorted.

 

He looked down to the floor, rubbing his hands on his arms. An eternity passed. He said nothing for a quick moment. “I… have to go…” Before she could do anything, he bolted from his seat, making a beeline towards the bathroom.

 

“OWEN!!!” She stood up in her seat, but did nothing except watch him run away.

 

Bethany sighed. Something was up with Owen. She wasn’t sure what, but she was definitely going to find out.

 

She was going to get to the bottom of this.

 

* * *

 

 

Owen didn’t stop until he was in one of the bathroom stalls. He quickly locked the door, panting hard as he leaned his head against it. With Bethany that mad, there was _no_ way now for him to tell her all about his SQUIP. She probably would get angrier if he _did_ tell her.

 

“I told you, it’s best for you to have the Optic Nerve Blocking on,” his SQUIP said. With very little room, there wasn’t anywhere else for his SQUIP to materialize, so its holographic form of Kiel was just sitting on the toilet.

 

Owen gulped. “No,” he quietly muttered out loud. No, he wasn’t going to block out Bethany. His SQUIP was wrong, none of his mistakes were Bethany’s fault.

 

“Are you sure?” His SQUIP raised an eyebrow. “Tell me this: did you have these same feelings _before_ you found Bethany crawling out of _Charlie and the Chocolate Factory_?”

 

Owen thought a bit. Yeah, he did have those moments, but they usually never haunted him like this, and they were never such huge mistakes.

 

His SQUIP nodded. “And do you think you’d be feeling this way if you hadn’t met her? If you had just lived a completely normal life?”

 

Would he? Well, if he never met Bethany, he’d never have been able to obtain his SQUIP to help him. But he’d also never almost ruin the _Kiel Gnomenfoot_ books with his stupid plan of stopping Dr. Verity from killing the Magister. He winced, remembering that first mistake that started this whole mess.

 

“But you never would have done it had you never known about Bethany’s powers.”

 

Owen felt himself shaking at the thought. What was his SQUIP _saying_?! Trying to pin the blame of all his mistakes onto his friend? It just wasn’t true!

 

“Just think about it, Owen.”

 

He shook his head. No, Bethany wasn’t to blame, she had _nothing_ to do with this, none of this was because of her. Right?

 

“The bell rings in 9.8 seconds.” His SQUIP’s figure stood up. “I suggest we start heading to class again now.”

 

Sure enough, in a little under ten seconds, the bell did ring, Owen exiting the stall and walking towards his next class, remembering what his SQUIP told him the day before on how to walk. He was surprised at how much more natural it started to feel, especially considering he only started learning to walk like this just the day before.

 

His awe was short lived, however, upon seeing Bethany again in their next class together. The way she hunched over her desk, she was _definitely_ still upset with him. He slunk quietly to his seat, hoping not to draw attention to himself.

 

“Sit up straight,” his SQUIP ordered, which he quickly obeyed. “Don’t look like a wimp.”

 

He sure felt like one, though.

 

“How you feel doesn’t matter in your goal. You want to stop messing up? Start acting like the person you want to be.”

 

Owen took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time to worry too much about Bethany. He was going to try to focus on not messing up.

 

He followed his SQUIP’s every direction, doing even the smallest things it demanded from him. He answered more questions correctly, earning approval from his teachers as he answered beyond what they asked for.

 

The whole time, though, he avoided Bethany best he could. He still felt a bit guilty after how angry she was at lunch, and he really didn’t want to deal with that again. Besides, how could he tell her now that he had a SQUIP? What would she even say? Would she be upset with how he’d stolen something from a book?

 

Well, those rules didn’t seem to apply to her all that much anymore, but he still doubted she’d be okay with what he’d done.

 

“This is your problem, Owen,” his SQUIP told him as he walked to his mother’s library. “Every time you’ve messed up, Bethany has always been related somehow.”

 

Owen shook his head with frustration. Not this again. It wasn’t true!

 

Instead of replying, it felt as if something was pulled from his brain again, Owen finding himself reliving some of his memories since he met the half-fictional girl.

 

When he decided to save the Magister.

 

The Magister finding his way into the nonfictional world.

 

About to have surgery to get his heart removed.

 

Trying to feel useful when Doyle Holmes showed up in every realistic fictional story.

 

Doyle, or rather, Fowen, stealing their memories and almost killing Bethany.

 

Bethany almost dying.

 

Each memory he went through, it seemed Bethany was always somehow involved, her image, voice, or name seeming much clearer than every other parts of the memories.

 

“Bethany is the very reason for your failures.”

 

Owen was hardly paying attention to where he was going, too deep in thought to focus in his surroundings, letting his SQUIP take control of his body as he made it to his mother’s library.

 

It was hard to find some argument against it. Everything he did, his worst failures and screw ups, all of them happened _because he met Bethany._ He pursed his lips as he made it to the front desk, sitting down behind the counter.

 

“If we’re going to make you the Owen you want to be, Owen 2.0, changes will have to be made,” his SQUIP said. “ _Including_ cutting off Bethany.”

 

Owen nodded, but he didn’t really want to enable the Optic Nerve Blocking. It seemed like too much.

 

“Very well. I won’t enable it. But that won’t make this any easier.”

 

Owen took a deep breath, taking out his homework to do while assisting his mom here. He’d just avoid her best he could as he focused on becoming a new him. How hard could that be?

 

* * *

 

 

Maybe she shouldn’t have been so harsh on him yesterday. Walking along the sidewalk on her way to school, she thought back to how terrified he looked, seeming so afraid to even lay his eyes on her. Yeah, she was pretty mad, but maybe it was too much.

 

Now that she had calmed down, she was starting to think that she was probably a bit _too_ irrational. She should’ve just talked to him calmly about this to find out what was going on with him.

 

She took a deep breath. Yeah, she’ll just go apologize for her behavior and just talk it out like a rational person would do. It wouldn’t be so hard, he was her best friend.

 

Approaching the school, she kept her eyes open for Owen. Finding him leaning coolly against the wall with his backpack on the ground, she went up to him, presenting her most calm face she could muster, trying not to let the anger fester again.

 

“Hello, Owen,” she greeted him calmly with a nod. “I just wanted to apolo—”

 

He didn’t even let her finish. Once he saw her, he picked up his backpack, slung one strap over his shoulder, and just walked away.

 

She blinked, trying to process what just happened.

 

He didn’t just do that, right?

 

She went the direction he took off, looking for him once again as the crowd of students began to grow, waiting for the bell to ring. She spotted him, this time sitting on one of the benches, his bag still over his shoulder. She tried to go up to him once again.

 

“Owen, I know you’re probably upset with how I—”

 

Just like before, he stood up and walked away.

 

He wasn’t ignoring her like he did two days ago; this time, he was only avoiding her, but that didn’t make her feel any better about this.

 

Keeping her cool best she could, she followed him, trying to apologize. “Look, I just want to say that I’m sorry about how I acted yesterday!” she called out to him, weaving between the students.

 

He didn’t respond. He only picked up his pace and walked faster.

 

Bethany slowed to a stop, standing dumbfounded, not bothering to move as the students around her shoved their way into the school building, the warning bell having rung. Under normal circumstances, or at least normal for her, she would’ve fought her way to Owen, forcing the apology onto him. However, with the way he’d been acting these past couple of days, she knew something was up.

 

Owen was hiding something from her. Or something happened to him. Either way, there was something going on, and she was determined to figure it out. And maybe apologize as well.

 

But she definitely wanted an explanation, with being ignored and now avoided. There was something different about Owen, and she wanted to know why.

 

Whenever she spotted him in the hallways between classes, he had a much different demeanor, contrasting how he usually was. Usually when she’d catch a glimpse of him in the halls, his eyes tended to be distant, as if he were daydreaming or thinking about something, taking his time to get to his classes. Now, his eyes were fierce and focused, walking at a fast pace like he meant business. Some kids were even stepping out of his way as he went down the halls, not wanting to cross his path.

 

How could a kid like Owen change into that in only a matter of _days_?

 

And it wasn’t just in the hallways. She didn’t think much of it at first, but in the classes they shared, he answered every question the teacher asked perfectly. In fact, he even went as far as raising his hand and _volunteering_ to answer. The Owen she knew never did anything like that.

 

At lunch, she decided that she’d confront him after school. She’d find him and make him tell her exactly what was going on.

 

Once her final period was over, she marched out of the school building. Instead of turning the direction of her house, she went the direction where she knew Ms. Conners’ library was, Owen walking just up ahead.

 

She remained silent as they made their way to the library. As he was about to enter inside it, she decided to stop him there.

 

“Owen Conners!”

 

He jumped at the sound of her voice. Before he could make any other move, she stormed up to him, giving him no option to escape.

 

“Do you have a problem with me?!” she demanded. “What’s been happening with you?!”

 

He didn’t answer.

 

* * *

 

 

Bethany had cornered him. He couldn’t just walk away. He couldn’t ignore her either, especially after begging his SQUIP to disable its Optic Nerve Blocking.

 

“Seriously, what’s going on?! You’ve been acting different!”

 

Usually, the old Owen would get nervous, afraid even, that someone had suspicions of what was going on. That someone was onto what he had done and try to stop him. The old Owen would break at the idea, considering what he had done could be considered illegal.

 

But that wasn’t him anymore. No, the old Owen wasn’t him.

 

“That’s right,” his SQUIP confirmed coolly.

 

“I haven’t been acting different,” he told Bethany, sounding a bit more annoyed than intended. “You’re probably just imagining things with all the stress about finding your dad and all.”

 

“Owen, if this is a joke, this isn’t funny,” she insisted. “You haven’t been yourself _at all_ lately!”

 

“Oh, and what do you know about me?!” he snapped back. The old Owen wouldn’t get so agitated this fast. But that wasn’t him anymore. “We’ve only known each other for what? Three? Four months? And you think you can act like my best friend or whatever?!”

 

She clenched her fists tight, her glare piercing into him. The old Owen wouldn’t have been able to handle her anger. The old Owen would’ve been sulking like he did when he first lied to Bethany and tricked her. The old Owen would’ve been racked with guilt. But that wasn’t him anymore.

 

“It’s not like _you_ have any others!” Bethany yelled, before immediately covering her mouth, regret and shock in her wide eyes.

 

“Bold of you to say something like that,” he replied with almost no hesitation, surprising even himself. The old Owen would never say something like that. The old Owen would’ve thought a bit first before saying such a statement. But that wasn’t him anymore.

 

And he could feel his SQUIP genuinely being proud of him. A feeling he never felt from most people in his life.

 

“Owen, I-I’m so sorry, I-I didn’t mean–”

 

“I don’t see _you_ with any friends of your own. I mean, you’re always so caught up trying to find your stupid dad, who’s probably dead for all we know.”

 

“Owen, stop!”

 

“And you know what? All of this isn’t my fault!”

 

“I never said–”

 

“It’s yours.”

 

The hurt in her eyes almost broke him. The old Owen wouldn’t have gone this far.

 

He held his gaze, looking straight into her eyes.

 

That wasn’t him anymore.

 

“I know you don’t mean that–”

 

“Do I?”

 

She had no response.

 

“Face it. You’re the one who pulled everyone into that story when you were little. And that’s probably why no one wants to be friends with you either, after what you did. And you know what?”

 

He took a step towards her, Bethany taking a step back, tears already sparkling in the corners of her eyes.

 

“I bet your mom blames you for losing your dad. And if your dad is alive, I bet he blames you for what happened to him.”

 

She took another step back, her tears flowing down her cheeks as she pursed her lips tight. “You know what? I don’t need you, Owen Conners.” She shoved him hard before walking away, her voice cracking as she yelled back, “I can do this on my own!”

 

He could feel the old Owen rising up in him as he watched her leave, the terrible weight of what he just did gnawing at his heart. What was he _doing_? Bethany meant the world to him, he couldn’t just give her up!

 

“Remember,” his SQUIP said, placing its imaginary gloved hand on his shoulder, “you are now Owen 2.0.”

 

He nodded in agreement. It was right. That wasn’t him anymore. And if he was going to fix all his problems, he had to get rid of their sources.

 

Even if it was at the expense of a friend he once held dear.

 

* * *

 

 

She couldn’t believe it.

 

She just lost her best friend.

 

Wiping her face with her arms, she started running, carelessly crossing the street and not stopping until she made it home, where she ran to her room and locked the door, collapsing onto her bed face first.

 

She didn’t move from her position, opting to just cry her eyes out onto the covers until she died. Or until her mom called her to come to dinner. Whichever came first.

 

Apparently, though, the need for oxygen came before either of those, because she had to lift up her head to feel like she could breathe, a dark, wet stain where her face just was. At least she wasn’t crying as hard now.

 

Her body still felt heavy, so she just rolled onto her back, staring at her ceiling feeling void of all emotions, her tears slowly falling. Her house was extremely quiet, save for her occasional sniffles.

 

So. That was it, huh? After everything they went through together, the Magister, reading the last _Kiel_ _Gnomenfoot_ book, their adventures with Kiel jumping into books, Doyle Holmes, _all of that_ , their friendship was done?

 

Bethany groaned, shutting her eyes tight, a couple of tears falling out as she did. What was she going to do now that she didn’t have Owen? She had no one to confide in about anything anymore. Sure, she had her mom, but she was so used to keeping secrets from her, she didn’t feel comfortable telling her anything. Besides, she’d probably stop her from searching for her dad.

 

She could try opening one of her books and seeking a fictional character for help. She stretched her arm as far as it could go, still refusing to get up, grabbing the first book her fingers wrapped around from her nightstand. She pulled it back, about to flip open the pages.

 

It was the first book of the _Earthgirl_ series.

 

She hesitated, thinking back to Gwen and the first time they met. It didn’t really happen in a way she’d like, yeah, but Gwen had been an amazing person to meet. She seemed to be so positive in everything, making Bethany feel better about herself and her situation.

 

She chose not to jump in, as Gwen wouldn’t know who she was by this time. Besides, that could create some weird paradox since she’d meet her a lot later, and somehow ruin the books greatly. Yeah, she didn’t want that.

 

But she didn’t really feel like getting up from her position to get the last book of the series, even though she _did_ want to see Gwen again.

 

Instead, she started reading the book in her hands from page one, Gwen’s happy attitude already presenting itself. She smiled, reading about the girl somehow being able to keep a smile on her face despite the difficulties, not letting the fact that her best friend was also her arch nemesis stop her from doing what she had to do.

 

Of course, every main character had their troubles, and Gwen was no exception, having troubles coming to terms that she had to fight someone she loved. Bethany held herself back from jumping in to just hug her, something that she’d kept wanting to do every time she read about a fictional character suffering.

 

She continued reading, smiling to herself as Gwen came to a realization.

 

 _“_ Maybe she’s evil and wants to take over the planet _, she thought to herself, picking herself up from the blow._ But she’s still my friend! _She’d proven herself in the school day, the way she cared about Gwen when she wasn’t acting like herself; when Gwen felt terrified around her after knowing who she was, she still loved her._

_“Their friendship was something worth fighting for, and she knew deep down, she wasn’t a bad person. But friends weren’t perfect, and sometimes they were wrong in what they did. So that’s what good friends were for: stopping each other when they built giant evil robots to take over Argon VI. So Gwen would keep fighting, even if she didn’t want to. She’d keep fighting, until she got her best friend on the right path.”_

 

 _Their friendship was something worth fighting for._ Bethany frowned. What about her friendship with Owen? Was _that_ something worth fighting for? What would Gwen tell her about this?

 

“If you really cared about him, you’d do everything you could to set him right.” She could hear her voice so clearly. Maybe she wasn’t there physically, but she already knew it was what Gwen would tell her.

 

She sat up, forcing herself off of her bed. She walked down the hallway, into the room where the family computer was. She turned it on with determination, resolute on figuring out what was going on with Owen.

 

People don’t change in a matter of three days, so she had to figure out herself what was going on, no matter how long it took.

 

* * *

 

 

It was hours, and she found nothing. Stupid internet, not having the one thing she needed.

 

She Googled a bunch of different phrases— “what to do when your friend is different in three days,” “why does my friend suddenly hate me,” “how can a person change personalities in three days,” to name a few. Nothing matched her situation.

 

All she got were breakups, how humans need change to be happy, how to handle major changes in your life, a couple articles on Dissociative Identity Disorder, bipolar depression, but none of them fit what was going on with Owen.

 

At some point during her search, she started playing the Spotify playlist Owen once sent her of his favorite songs, trying to see if it could give any hints as to what could’ve been going on. Maybe she had to think like Owen to know what happened? But there were almost a thousand songs, and they tended to be all over the place and all from different genres, some songs from Disney, some from musicals, and some from popular artists. Some were happy and upbeat, some were slow and somber, and some were pretty calming. They didn’t really help, but at least it provided some background noise while she searched.

 

Tired of searching, she leaned back in her seat closing her eyes. Man, this was exhausting, and all she was doing was sitting and typing into the computer, trying to find something that could help her or explain what was going on.

 

As she tried to figure out some phrase that could probably yield her better results, a new song came on.

 

_“I am hanging in the bathroom, at the biggest party of the fall._

_I could stay right here, or disappear, and nobody’d even notice at all.”_

 

In truth, she hadn’t completely been listening to the songs, more focused on her Google search. She decided she’d listen to this one, then continue to find something. She really needed a break after staring at a screen endlessly.

 

_“I’m a creeper in a bathroom, ‘cause my buddy kinda left me alone._

_But I’d rather fake pee than stand awkwardly or pretend to check a text on my phone.”_

 

She couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. Wow, what a mood. She may not have been at a party or in a bathroom, but she knew exactly how the singer felt.

 

_“Everything was fine when I was half of a pair._

_Now through no fault of mine, there’s no other half there.”_

 

She frowned. Dang, this song knew _exactly_ how she felt.

 

_“Now I’m just Michael in the bathroom, Michael in the bathroom at a party._

_Forget how long it’s been, I’m just_

_Michael in the bathroom, Michael in the bathroom at a party._

_No, you can’t come in!”_

 

She sat up and clicked over to the Spotify tab, checking the song title and what album it was from. “Michael In the Bathroom” from _Be More Chill_.

 

Wait a minute, that was the title of one of the books Owen suggested they jump into. Something about a high school kid getting a… squid? Script? She couldn’t remember what it was called, but it helped the kid be cool or something.

 

_“I’m waiting it out ‘til it’s time to leave,_

_And picking at grout as I softly grieve!_

_I’m just Michael who you don’t know!_

_Michael flying solo!_

_Michael in the bathroom by himself!”_

 

But when Owen told them about the book, he didn’t say anything about any of the characters feeling abandoned and sulking in a bathroom like in the song.

 

… _Because he also told them about how the musical based on it was very different from the book._

 

Now half-listening to the relatable lyrics of the song, she quickly Googled the synopsis of the musical. She felt her heart race as she clicked the Wikipedia article, skimming through.

 

It was called a SQUIP, and from what she read, it helped the main character be “chill” as stated by the title, the protagonist’s personality apparently slowly changing as it did, doing things he wouldn’t have done before. Not only that, the SQUIP had enabled something called “Optic Nerve Blocking” to keep him from seeing his best friend, who had sang the song that she had heard.

 

The pieces slowly fell into place in her mind.

 

Owen must’ve taken a SQUIP from the book and was now using it to help him with something. It must’ve used its Optic Nerve Blocking on her, for whatever reason it had. Why he was able to see her eventually, she wasn’t too sure, though she had a feeling Owen must’ve had it turned off.

 

She continued reading. The only way to shut off the SQUIP, according to the musical, was with Mountain Dew Red. But Owen got his from the book, and he said it was Mountain Dew _Code Red_ that shut it off, and both were apparently completely different things. However, the SQUIP that Owen described in the book was much more gentle and kinder compared to what she read on Wikipedia. So would it shut off with Mountain Dew Red, since it acted like the musical SQUIP, or would it shut off with Mountain Dew Code Red, because Owen had taken it from the book?

 

After analyzing the situation, she made a decision. She’d need a time watch from that _Kara Dox_ series, though, for her plan to work. _If_ it’d work. She was going to go to the library tomorrow.

 

She turned off the computer and stood up, taking a deep breath.

 

This had better work. Or else her best friend would be gone forever.

 

* * *

 

 

“Mom, just shut up!”

 

The moment of silence was heavy between them, lasting forever.

 

“Owen, I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but you don’t talk to your mother like that. Now you pick up the books you dropped, or you’re in _big_ trouble when we get home.”

 

Owen glared at her for a moment before begrudgingly kneeling down to pick up the hardcover books now scattered on the floor. Satisfied, his mother turned and walked away to take care of something else.

 

Owen grumbled, no one in the library except his SQUIP hearing his complaints. Ugh, his mom was always forcing him to do this, do that! He _never_ had time for a break! First the dishes that morning, then cleaning up the spilled cookies near the bathroom, now this! Why couldn’t she just leave him alone for once?! He had better things to do instead of cleaning up this stupid libr–

 

He froze. What was he _thinking_?! He never thought stuff like that! Why was he…

 

“Are you regretting your decision to stop ‘screwing things up’?”

 

His SQUIP. It was making him think like that.

 

“It’s not me, Owen. It’s all you.”

 

He stood up, angrily turning to the mental projection of Kiel who was examining its glove. _I wanted you to help me stop messing up!_ he thought to it. _I didn’t want you to make me a jerk!_

 

“It’s only a ‘jerk’ attitude because you perceive it that way.” It looked up to him, crossing its arms. “It’s a necessary attitude to have if you don’t want to be at fault for anything. You constantly blame yourself for everything that happens.”

 

But he didn’t want to pin the blame on anyone else!

 

“Maybe everything wrong is the fault of others.”

 

His fists curled, and he could feel his face lowering. No, not everything wrong was their faults. Some things were out of people’s controls. It wasn’t his mom’s fault that he’d dropped the books. It wasn’t Kiel’s fault that his mentor was evil. It wasn’t Bethany’s fault that she lost her dad.

 

His eyes widened as he suddenly recalled the previous afternoon.

 

And it wasn’t Bethany’s fault that they were no longer friends.

 

_It was his._

 

He’d messed up again. He messed up big time. This was worse than when he saved the Magister, or took over Kiel’s story.

 

How could he be so _stupid_?! There was literally an entire musical about why getting a SQUIP was a horrible idea! He shouldn’t have asked Bethany to take them into the dumb book, he should’ve suggested some other first person point of view story.

 

“You didn’t seem so concerned when you first got me.”

 

That was it. He had to turn it off.

 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you…”

 

He ignored it. He was going to get a bottle of Mountain Dew Code Red and shut this computer off. He was officially done with it. Hurriedly, he shoved the books a little carelessly onto the shelves. He could fix it later. First, he had to get to the vending machine outside the library.

 

Except he couldn’t move. It was like his muscles refused to listen to him. No matter how hard he willed it, his legs just wouldn’t pick themselves up.

 

“I warned you not to go.”

 

NO!! His breathing quickened, struggling to move at least a little bit. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t even struggle.

 

“Owen! We’re closing up, but I need to step out for a bit! You’re in charge of the library while I’m gone. I’ll be back soon!” his mom called out.

 

He wanted to scream, he wanted to shout for help, he wanted to get her to come over and pull him from where he stood, but his throat closed up. His lips were glued shut, and he could do nothing but listen as his mother left him behind, not knowing that he desperately needed someone, _anyone_ , to save him.

 

“You acquired me to help you, Owen, and that’s what I’m going to do.” The SQUIP walked up to him, its hands placed on its hips. Its long, black cape flowed behind it. “I’m not letting you quit that easy.”

 

He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. No, it couldn’t be like this! It couldn’t!

 

_Please… help…_

 

“Owen, are you okay?”

 

 _Bethany!_ He’d never been so happy to hear her voice!

 

The SQUIP allowed him to turn around to face her, and he breathed with relief, grateful for the ability to move once again. However, he still couldn’t speak, just try to telepathically send her his pleas for help.

 

She didn’t seem to care. “Uh, I don’t know if we’re still… friends, but… I got us some drinks?” She held up two bottles in her hands, red fizzy liquid inside of them.

 

Owen could feel the SQUIP in his mind trying to compute this. Neither of them predicted Bethany being able to realize he SQUIPped himself, especially since she never knew what a SQUIP was, having not read the book or listened to the musical.

 

It looked like she did her research, however. One bottle had the label “Mountain Dew Red.” The other was labeled “Mountain Dew Code Red.”

 

She didn’t know which one would work, did she?

 

For just a little, Owen was able to break free of the SQUIP’s hold. He nabbed one of the bottles from her hand as quick as he could, gripping it tightly in his now shaky hands, struggling to twist the cap and bring the bottle to his lips. It was an eternity before he could get the bottle’s mouth to his own. Before he could tilt his head and drink it, though, his fingers went limp and the bottle fell from his hand, landing on the wooden floor with a _thunk!_

 

Mountain Dew Red.

 

The SQUIP he took could only be shut off with Mountain Dew Red.

 

Owen could only watch in horror as its red contents spilled out.

 

“It was a nice attempt, but I’m afraid getting rid of me won’t be that easy.” The SQUIP chuckled darkly, almost like Dr. Verity’s laugh. The Mountain Dew Red Bethany went to get to save him was useless now. This was it. He was never going to be free.

 

“Oh, don’t look so upset.” It placed its hands on his shoulder, Owen getting chills up his spine. “I’ll make your life _better_ than it ever was. You’ll never make another mistake ever aga–”

 

Something was shoved into his mouth. A hand gripped the back of his head tightly and forced it to tilt back, a fizzy liquid now going down his throat. He shoved whatever was in his face away, starting to cough violently.

 

The bottle that was forced into his face rolled over slowly on the floor, its label revealed.

 

Mountain Dew Code Red?

 

The SQUIP scoffed. “Mountain Dew Code Red isn’t the same as–”

 

Without warning, it let out an ear piercing screech that rang in his ears, and Owen’s brain was being electrocuted, just like when he first got the SQUIP. Except it was worse. He was feeling the pain of the SQUIP along with his own.

 

As he fell to his knees gripping his head, Bethany knelt in front of him, staring at him like he was Fowen.

 

“I don’t know if you can hear me, SQUIP,” she said, her voice low and steady, “or whatever you’re called, but you’re not as smart as I thought you’d be.”

 

“ _What is she talking about?!_ ” it shrieked, its voice breaking as it was being disabled. “ _I’m a supercomputer! I can predict just about everything and account for every variable!_ ”

 

“I’ll make this quick: I did my research, and the musical and book SQUIPs are deactivated with two different things. You were taken from the book, but what happened to Owen was more like in the musical. I figured only you would know which would deactivate you, so I found both, using a time watch to get the Mountain Dew Red. I switched the labels on the bottles since I figured you wouldn’t drink the one that would turn you off.”

 

_“NO!!!”_

 

Kiel’s frightened voice echoed loudly in Owen’s brain, the pain increasing as he felt the SQUIP trying to hold on.

 

_“THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!!! NO!!!”_

 

The pain spiked up, like something was being ripped from his brain. The last thing Owen could remember was letting out a blood curdling cry alongside the SQUIP, then everything went dark.

 

* * *

 

 

The first thing Owen felt was the throbbing of his head. He moaned softly, biting his lower lip as the pain started catching up with him.

 

The next thing he felt was something wet on his cheek. And that he was laying face down on the floor.

 

Weakly, he pushed himself up, the world spinning around him. Through his dizziness, he was able to see that he was in his mom’s library.

 

Someone sighed heavily in front of him. “I’m so glad you’re okay!” Looking up, he saw Bethany’s worried face staring down at him, strands of her red hair falling in front of her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

 

She held out a hand and helped him up, gripping his shoulders firmly as he started to fall back down. “I got you.”

 

Owen couldn’t speak as he looked up at her, and it wasn’t because of the SQUIP this time. Wordlessly, he embraced her as quickly as he could manage, burying his face into her shoulder. Slowly, she wrapped her own arms around him, patting his back. He couldn’t stop the tears from flowing, his nose running as well as sobs escaped from his throat.

 

“Hey, it’s okay, it’s okay!” she said gently, squeezing him in her arms gently.

 

“Thank you,” he choked out, his throat tight as he spoke.

 

Bethany let out a huff in his ear, though she didn’t sound annoyed. “What are friends for?” she whispered with a soft chuckle.

 

He pulled away after a few minutes, wiping his nose with his sleeve. He wasn’t sobbing anymore, but his breathing was still a little heavy. “I’m so sorry.” His voice cracked as he spoke. He stared at the red mess on the floor, unable to look her in the eye. “I messed up, I messed up so bad. I was a _horrible_ friend to you.”

 

“Yeah, you were.” Those words pierced his heart, and his guilt was heavier than ever. “But… you’re not perfect. Besides, you’re my best friend, especially in this world.” She paused, heaving a long sigh. “I don’t know how long it’ll take before I’m ready to forgive you, but I was able to forgive you for the Magister. So… maybe I’ll be able to soon.”

 

He smiled a bit, wiping his nose again. “Take your time. I deserve it, you being mad at me.” He looked up to her. “Besides, it’ll be better than having a Kiel Gnomenfoot in my head convincing me to do all that.”

 

Her eyes widened, her face glowing a subtle shade of red. “The SQUIP was _Kiel_?!”

 

He nodded. “That was its form, anyway,” he explained.

 

She fidgeted with her fingers a bit, pursing her lips. “What was it like?” she asked quietly.

 

He shook his head. “Could we talk about this another time? I’m a little tired from… all that.”

 

She nodded understandingly. “Of course.”

 

Owen was honestly so ready to just go home and sleep as soon as he hit his mattress. Except that he still had a mess to clean up. “Hey, could you help me clean this up and organize those books?” he asked Bethany. “My mom will be back any minute.”

 

With paper towels from the bathroom, they cleaned up the soda, then placed the books back onto the shelves where they belonged. They sat at one of the tables and began to talk about anything and everything, their minds taken off of the SQUIP incident for those several minutes, laughing together like before.

 

For the first time in days, they felt like themselves again.

  


**Author's Note:**

> THIS IS THE LONGEST ONE SHOT I EVER WROTE WOW.
> 
> And for the record I'm only a tiny bit sorry for putting these children through this, but hey, angst that tests their friendship is great, right?


End file.
